NORFOLK – Old Dominion University will build an art museum on Hampton Boulevard with a gift valued at more than $35 million from Richard and Carolyn Barry, the university announced.
The donation is the largest in school history. It includes the Barrys’ collection of more than 100 glass sculptures and American modernist paintings — pieces that will help the launch the museum, which could open as soon as 2018, according to the university. ODU said the building will serve as an educational and cultural resource for the school and Hampton Roads community.
“The Barrys’ gift allows ODU to become one of Hampton Roads’ major cultural destinations,” ODU President John R. Broderick said in a release. “Their collection tells a story about the rise of American glass artists to the forefront of the international scene. The new museum will frame this story beautifully, while providing a starting point for other stories yet to be told. We are extremely grateful to Carolyn and Dick.”
The Barrys will also provide operating support through pledged annual gifts and a permanent endowment from their estates, according to the release.
In addition to the donated artwork, the museum will display about 50 paintings, drawings and prints, including works by former ODU faculty A.B. Jackson and Charles Sibley, that are in the university’s general collection. Broderick said he expects the museum to draw additional donated works from alumni and other supporters.
The museum building will be by the Ted Constant Convocation Center on the east corner of Hampton Boulevard and 43rd Street, where it will serve as a gateway to the main campus, ODU said. Groundbreaking is expected in 2017. Saunders + Crouse Architects envision a 24,000-square-foot, two-story building with room for expansion and an exterior defined by architectural glass.
Richard Barry was rector of ODU’s Board of Visitors in the 1980s and had a 40-year career at Landmark Media Enterprises and its predecessor, Landmark Communications, where he served most recently as vice chairman, according to ODU. Carolyn Barry is an art collector and is a master docent at the Chrysler Museum of Art, specializing in glass, and is a member of the museum’s board of trustees, the school said.
